1 in 5 workers disable tech security
October 17, 2008 by Sam NarisiPosted in: Employee computer use, In this week's e-newsletter, Latest News & Views, Security and law
IT workers put a lot of time into making sure your company’s employees use their computers safely. But it looks like many employees work just as hard to get around IT’s controls.
One in five employees change the security settings on their work computers so they can access blocked Web sites, according to a recent survey by Cisco systems.
When asked why, half of them said it was because they wanted to go the site; a third said “it’s no one’s business” what sites they go to.
The problem is, it is the company’s business — 70% of the IT pros said unauthorized Web browsing was one of the biggest causes of confidential data leaks in their organizations.
October 21st, 2008 at 5:36 pm
One thing that is so often overlooked is that many staff members are impacted negatively by tools that filter their web access. Even HR managers are sometimes unable to research recruits when a tool like websense blocks thsir access to Dice.com. Can you believe that some firms are so strict on web access that even the IT staff take measures to bypass filters and monitors just to obtain patches and tech forums?
October 22nd, 2008 at 3:39 pm
My personal opinion is that, rather than “punishing” everyone by blocking and restricting access, we should deal with the people who take advantage. I prefer to treat employees like adults rather than like children. The more we restrict people, the harder they will buck against the restraints. But when treated like responsible, professional, mature adults, most people respond by acting that way. Deal with the problems instead of treating everyone like they are one.